Damsel in Distress
by lesmisgirl
Summary: A collection of Jily one shots. Read one or read them all. Just a bit of fluffiness to get you through the day.
1. Howling and Healers

The light of the full moon shown on Lily's bedspread. She outstretched her hand, casting shadows in the moonlight. It must've been very late for the moon to be shining in her window.

_The boys must be out at the Shrieking Shack tonigh_t, she thought, turning onto her other side. A year ago they trusted her with their biggest secret: they all were animagi who kept Remus company when his lycanthropy overtook him.

Lily had assumed Remus was a werewolf for quite some time, but wasn't completely sure until he admitted everything to her one night when they were on prefect duty. She thought no less of him, though most people would. He was still the same, caring friend she'd always had.

It wasn't until recently that she counted the other three boys as friends. James and Sirius had always just been a nuisance, with Peter following their every move. After the whole ordeal in their fifth year, James hadn't even attempted to speak to Lily until she initiated conversation. They sat next to each other all year in sixth year potions. It was small talk at first. A simple "pass me that vile" or "how was the quidditch match?"

Soon, they began talking more and even spending time together outside of the class. Before she knew it, she was close friends with the four boys. They really weren't so bad. They didn't bully anymore or belittle anyone. They'd grown up.

As Lily lie in bed, her mind drifted back to her previous best friend, Severus Snape. He'd changed as well, but not for the better. He'd chosen dark arts over their friendship. He cast her aside for a tattoo and a vicious new group of mates.

She'd never admit it, but it still hurt. It still clawed at her heart a little bit every day. The fact that he so easily cast her aside. Called her the worst of names in front of everyone.

_You'll never fall asleep thinking about sad thing_s, Lily reminded herself. She was having issues falling asleep. Perhaps it was the excitement of the impending Christmas Holiday. She wasn't sure, but she wished more then anything that she could relax enough to sleep.

_Think of something nice_, she told herself.

She felt herself blush as she thought of what had happened a few night ago.

Lily had stayed up in the common room, studying for an Arithmancy exam. The boringness of the book had gotten the best of her, and she was soon reclining on the couch quickly falling asleep.

It was then she heard the portrait door open. She opened her eyes just a bit, and saw that it was James. He'd been going out at night to work on his quidditch skills for the upcoming match against Slytherin.

Unable to keep her eyes open, she dropped them shut. His footsteps creaked on the floorboards as he came closer. Lily heard him smirk a bit, and then heard the rustle of fabric. He lowered the fabric onto her. It was his quidditch robe.

"Goodnight, Evans," he whispered with a laugh in his voice.

Then he leaned down and kissed her cheek.

Lily tried her hardest not to show any expression. She thought it would be best if she kept pretending to be asleep.

The next morning, she saw him and the three other boys at breakfast. She sat next to James, giving him a small smile. She thought he wasn't going to say anything about the previous night. For a moment, she thought she'd imagined it.

Then he leaned into her ear and whispered, "By the way, I'd like my robe back sometime." He winked.

Lily smiled as she lie in her bed thinking of the memory.

Then something grabbed her shoulders and shook her vigorously. She tried to cry out, but something blocked her mouth. It felt like a hand, but she couldn't see anything there.

"It's me!" Hissed the phantom, who sounded remarkably like Sirius Black. Then, as if a sheet were pulled off of him, he appeared in front of her. "Please don't scream. I need your help. It's James. He's...injured. I wouldn't be coming to get you but it's really bad."

Sirius took his hand off of her mouth and she finally got a chance to look at him. Under his eyes were black rings, and his pale skin glistened with sweat. Perhaps it was the moonlight, but Lily could almost swear that there were tears in his eyes.

Lily thought of her father. He was a doctor, a muggle doctor, but a healer all the same. She'd grown up knowing how to help injured people.

"Just let me grab some things," Lily said. She stepped out of her bed and pulled the crimson and gold sweater that was lying on the floor over her nightgown. Lily stepped into some black shoes and grabbed a small brown hand bag. From her cabinet, she took tissues, tweezers, her wand, bandages, and a small vile of essence of dittany. "What happened to him?" Lily closed the bag, and followed him out the door.

Sirius's pace was very fast. Lily had to sprint to keep up, "Some kid was out after hours. Moony smelt him and went mad trying to go after him. Prongs tried to fight him to keep him inside, but Moony just clawed him all down his body. It was really deep. No bites though, thank Merlin. Prongs turned back into James and...it was awful. I took him to one of the upstairs rooms and locked him in and came for you." Sirius ran faster once they exited out of the portrait.

"Why me?" Lily breathed.

"Because you're smart and your dad's a muggle doctor. I thought you could help."

"Sure," Lily said, but she wasn't sure how much she could do. She'd never even tried to heal someone before. How could she deal with werewolf scratches? Something else was bugging her, "How's you get up to my room in the first place? Boys can't get into the girls corridors."

He held up a wadded up piece of fabric, "Invisibility cloak. It's James's. I'd say we wear it now, but it really only fits one. We should just run for it."

Run they did. They ran so fast that Lily thought he lungs may burst. She only hoped that they were running fast enough. She needed to get to James. She needed to help him. Worry flooded all through her body.

"The passageway is here," Sirius ducked behind a statue and Lily followed. They used their wands to illuminate a trail. Soon, they were outside on the Hogwarts grounds, near the Whomping Willow.

Lily backed away, leery of the tree. Some boy in Ravenclaw had gotten a proper beating from the tree for coming to close a few years ago. He was in the hospital wing for weeks.

Sirius ran off to a thicket of trees, leaving Lily alone and confused. He soon rushed back, holding a large stick. Lily, befuddled, watched as he moved close to the willow, reached out the long stick, and poked something.

The effect was instantaneous. The tree ceased motion, as if frozen in time.

"So that's how you..." She began, but Sirius grabbed her wrist and dragged her along as he ran to a tunnel underneath the Whomping Willow. The tunnel was long and damp and Lily had to hunch over for it was so small. Eventually, they reached a few stairs and Lily heard horrifying noises coming from above. She knew that they belonged to Remus. He was the shrieking in The Shrieking Shack.

"Okay," Sirius whispered, looking at the trap door above him. "I'll distract Remus and get him to go outside for a moment. Once I do, you need to run upstairs and find James. First room on the right. Just undo the chain lock and go in. Bar the door with something." Lily nodded, her heart pounding. She knew how fearsome werewolves were. They were wild animals, ready to attack anything in their way.

She just hoped she wasn't something in the way.

"Here," Sirius slipped off the long black jacket he'd been wear and draped it over her shoulders. "Put this on and it should disguise your scent." He took a deep breath, "Are you ready?"

Lily put her arms the ought the sleeves, "Yes."

"All right," She watched as he hunched over and morphed into a large, black dog. He barked gruffly, as if saying "Go!" And bounded through the trap door. Lily wasted no time and ran up as well, her eyes darting around frantically for the staircase.

Wait. Sirius had said to wait. No time to change course now, Lily found the stairs and ran up them furiously, finding the first door on the right, undoing the lock and barging in.

She saw James on the floor, a pool o blood around him. He's dead. I'm too late.

No, not dead, he gave a quiet moan from his spot on the ground. Newfound hope growing inside, Lily grabbed a chair and pushed it up under the handle, hoping that would bar the door enough.

"Evans?" James's mumbled. "Am I dead?"

"No yet, Potter," She went to his side and crouched down, examining him. She couldn't tell much, but he didn't look good. His white shirt was nearly shredded and cover in crimson blood. The skin she could see was messy and bloated. "Blimey, James..."

His hazel eyes looked up at her, "Why are you here?" He strained to speak.

"Sirius brought me."

"Sirius brought you _here_? I'm gonna kill him."

"Well, you have to not die first," Lily said. She probably should've disinfected her hands or something, but she hadn't brought anything that would do that. A ruddy healer you are. "You have to take your shirt off."

"What?" James sputtered. "No, I..."

"Merlin, Potter, of all the times for you to finally be modest!" Her tone was meaner than she thought it would be. "Take the damn shirt off."

"Blimey, okay," He tried to reached to get the buttons, but howled in pain instead.

_He can't move. It hurts for him to contract his muscles._

"I'll get it," Lily said, slowly reaching down her hands. Her hands touched the warm blood, and she tried not to retract in disgust. _No, I need to focus. Your dad isn't scared of blood. Be brave_. James moaned in pain as she pealed the fabric off of his wounds. She wasn't sure whether to do it quickly or slowly, so she tried both.

James tried to laugh, but it sounded like a whimper, "Never thought you'd try to undress me, Evans."

Lily scowled at him, "Not the time to make a move on me, Potter. Do it again and I will laugh at you as you bleed to death."

"Merlin's pants, Lily, you'd be a horrible healer."

"Shut up." She finally removed all of the shirts and was able to fully access the wounds. It appeared to be three long scratched down his chest. They were all puffy and red, and still leaking blood. She's have to clean the sounds before applying anything. Lily got out her wand. "This won't hurt," she said. "Aquamenti." Water came out the tip of her wands and splashed onto her chest. James gave a sharp cry of pain, but the blood washed away, giving Lily a relatively clean surface.

"You said..." He panted, "that it would hurt."

"Yeah, well, I lied." Lily splashed water on her own hands, removing the blood. She dug into her bag and took out the dittany. In a swift movement, she bit off the cap and filled up the stopper. "This will sting." With her fingers, she squeezed out the dittany and dropped it slowly over the scars. James squirmed a bit, but did not cry out. As she dropped the brown liquid, his skin began to heal before her eyes and a yellow smoke was emitted. After several careful dropper-fulls, she used up all the dittany and James's scars were no more. Just thin, pink lines across his skin.

He looked tired, and Lily assumed he'd fallen asleep. She used her wand to clean the rest of the blood that had pooled on the floor and soon removed the most of it.

"Feel better?" Lily capped her empty vial and stuck it into her bag. James nodded slowly. "You better. I used up all my dittany on you."

"That's what mates are for," James mumbled, and Lily laughed a bit. The scars on his chest were healing very well. They almost seemed several days old already. "I'm glad we're mates, Evans."

"You're just saying that because I saved your life," She teased.

"No," he placed his hands flat on the floor and pushed himself up. Lily offered a hand for help but he shook his head. "I'm saying that because I prefer us being mates than you hating me."

Lily leaned against an old bed that was in the room, "Well, you deserved it."

"I know," James said, smiling weakly. He sat closely next to her. Lily felt a warmth growing in her stomach. "I was terrible."

"Yes. You were."

He laughed again, but Lily didn't know why. Suddenly, he got very serious. "And I'm sorry about what I did in fifth year. That was...a dick move. Really."

"Thank you," Lily said quietly. "For apologizing, I mean." She shifted a bit, "Where's all this coming from?"

"I don't know," James adjusted his glasses. The frames were badly cracked. "I guess near death experiences change you."

"Your glasses are broken," Lily took out her wand and fixed them without a second thought.

"Thanks," James said, pushing them up the ridge of his nose. "You know, you're the coolest girl I know."

"Flattery gets you no where." He laughed heartily. Lily smiled, "Don't laugh too hard, you'll hurt yourself."

James flicked his hair, an annoying habit of his. She made a point of rolling her eyes. "See, you're not like other girls. You never have been."

"I know. I don't worship you," her voice was heavy with sarcasm. "A novel concept, really."

James smirked, "See, you're snarky and mean to me. I don't know why, but I like that more than giggling and flirting." He nudged her arm, "You're cool, Lily."

"Oh, you didn't call me Evans, you must be _serious_," her voice was teasing, but she looked at him a saw how serious he was. Suddenly, she became keenly aware of how close they were. And that he was shirtless. "Anyway," she turned away from his intense gaze. "You're pretty cool too, Potter. You know, when you're not ticking me off or treating me like a damsel in distress."

"I think I'm the damsel in distress this time."

They both exploded into laughter, leaning into each other for support. The warmth inside of her started to grow into a burning flame. She wished she could freeze time right here and stay in this moment forever.

Then they heard a fierce howl from the bottom of the stairway and all of the good feeling left her in an instant.

"I'll change into Prongs and-"

"No," Lily whispered. "You're not strong enough yet."

They sat there in silence until the howling stopped. Hoping that Moony wouldn't come upstairs. Hoping that Sirius would keep him at bay.

Finally, it ended. Lily realized that sometime during the howling, she'd grabbed James's hand.

"Sorry, I..." She mumbled, trying to take back her hand. He didn't let go.

James smiled at her, "No, I like it."

Lily couldn't think of anything clever to say so she just smiled.

"This has been an interesting night, hasn't it," James said.

"Yes," Lily nodded. She nudged his arm, "Makes me glad we're mates."

James clenched his jaw a bit, "I don't...really want to be mates, Lily."

"Oh," Lily said quietly, not really knowing what he meant. "Well, erm-"

"No, no," James shook his head quickly. "I didn't mean that. I mean..." He turned to look at her. "I don't want to be _just_ mates."

Lily hadn't fully processed what he was saying. What he meant. She'd never heard him sound so true...so honest. James wasn't acting like the egotistical, charismatic boy he usual was. Lily didn't really know what to do.

She realized he was leaning into her, and she was leaning towards him as well.

Their lips met, and Lily's whole body tingled with some strange new energy. She reached up her hand and gingerly touched the side of his face. James's hand was on her waist.

Lily wasn't sure how long they kissed, but eventually they pulled away from each other.

James smiled, "I've waited seven years to do that."

Lily giggled. A giggle? That was new.

He kissed her again, "I guess we're going to be up here for a while."

Lily squinted at him, "Don't get any funny ideas, Potter."

He laughed, "Oh, never, Evans."

His kiss made the bubbles inside of her overflow.


	2. Hot and Cold

**This is now going to be a collection of one-shots about Lily and James. All one-shots are unrelated, other than being about Lily and James.**

**Enjoy :)**

"Leave her alone."

Muliciber smiled. He was a vile looking boy. His straw colored hair looked as if it hasn't been washed in years. His smile was more of a sneer that bared his yellow teeth, "Look, it's the mudblood's guard dog."

"He's not my guard!" Lily yelled at the same time James yelled, "Don't call her that!"

The two other Slytherin's laughed, and Lily wished James hadn't shown up. She could handle these three on her own. Why did he always pop up an try to save her?

The girl, Anna, laughed, "We'll be going. Not worth fighting a blood traitor and his pet mudblood."

James shot a spell at the girl, hitting her square in the chest and sending her flying back across the field.

"Potter!" Lily's voice was full of contempt. "Stop being so rash!" Muliciber and the other boy, Goyle, went after Anna. Lily marched up to James, whacking him hard on the arm.

"Ow!" He yelled, "Is that what I get for trying to help you?"

"Help me?" Lily laughed a bitter 'ha!'. "You've just made a mess of things, like you always do!"

James stared at her in disbelief, "They called you a...you know what."

"I know what they called me," Lily spat. "They always call me that. It seems to bother you more than it does me." She could see the three Slytherin's brush off their cloaks, shoot nasty glances at her and James, and leave in a hurry. "Now you've just given them more of a reason to hate us."

James ruffled his hair with his hand._ I hate when he does that,_ "Are you saying you'd rather just grin and bear it than fight back?"

"I'm saying," Lily met his eyes, "that I know when it's worth it to start a fight and when it's not." She started off down the hill again. She'd been heading off to the Owlery before Muliciber and company stopped her.

James followed. _Of course he followed,_ "Well, Evans, excuse me for trying to protect you."

She turned to face him with a ferocious look about her. Something inside of her noted how close they were standing. Lily suppressed that. "I don't need or want you to protect me, Potter. You just make me look weak."

"Make you look weak?"

"Like I'm some damsel in distress or something," Lily explained. "I'm not Cinderella. I don't need you to rescue me."

James raised an eyebrow, "Cinderella? Is that a disease."

"Oh, never mind," Lily grumbled, continuing on her way. The sound of footsteps in the snow let her know that James was still following her. She sighed, "Why are you following me?"

James scoffed, "Don't flatter yourself, Evans. I'm off to the Owlery as well."

_Of course you are, _she thought. Lately, James had been taking any excuse to spend time with her. Everywhere she turned, he would be there. He'd be sitting next to her in The Three Broomsticks, behind her in the queue at Honeydukes, in the chair next to her in potions. He'd laid off on all the bad pick up lines, but now he never left her alone. It was like he wanted to constantly remind her of his existence.

"Have you started studying for N.E.W.T.s?" He asked causally as the trotted up the stone steps to the Owlery.

Lily nodded, "I've been trying to study every day. I need high scores if I'm to work at the Ministry."

"I want to be an Auror," he said. "But if there's a war coming, I don't want to waste my time in school. I want to be out there fighting."

"I can't afford to do that," Lily admitted. Her parents had never been very wealthy, and with Petunia attending a private girl's school, funds were tighter than ever. Lily always had to be careful with money, and always be extra frugal.

James didn't have any reason to be cost conscious. He could spend and spend and spend and never run out of money. His family had always been a wealthy one. If he wanted to go off and fight instead of having a job, he'd be perfectly fine with his finances.

Lily _literally_ couldn't afford to be like that. She needed a well paying job if she were to support herself.

James gave her a friendly smile, "I'm sure you'll pass at top of the class. The Ministry departments will be fighting over who gets you."

Lily smiled too. She liked this James. She liked his sincerity.

Some warmth was filling her up. It came out of her stomach and radiated to the other parts of her body. The feeling wasn't new, but it always surprised her.

They reached the Owlery and Lily dug her letter out of her sleeve. It was for Petunia, congratulating her on being selected to go to a prestigious University. She doubted her sister would appreciate the sentiment, but she sent it anyway.

"You know, Evans," James said as he strapped a letter to an orange owl. "What I don't understand is why you walked outside to get to the Owlery instead of just walking through the castle. Especially in such bitter cold."

"You know, Potter," she released her owl and it fluttered out the window, "Why I don't understand is why you said you were going out for Quidditch practice today. Especially in such bitter cold."

He raised the corner of his mouth into a smirk, "I told you I was going out for Quidditch practice this morning. Is it possible you wanted to see me and that's why you went outside?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Potter."

"Oh, _never_, Evans."

They had slowly moved closer until they were standing just inches from each other. She felt the warmth wanting her to move closer to him, but she pulled away despite it.

He took her arm, "Hey, I want to go show you something. You'll like it."

"Last time you said that, you took me to a room full of mistletoe and tried to kiss me against my will."

He shrugged, "Hey, you would've liked it if you tried it."

"Ugh, no," Lily said. She tried to shake off his hand but his grip stayed. "Want to come?" He asked her.

Lily nodded. She wasn't even sure why she did that, but he took off running before she could protest and she had no choice but to match his pace.

They ended up in a long corridor, that Lily knew she'd seen before. Suddenly, the wall began to make a hissing sound and a door appeared.

"The Room of Requirement," Lily gasped as the door protruded a bit and then settled into place. She'd been in the room once before to hide from Filch. She had been out after hours on accident, staying too long at one of Slughorn's parties. Filch had said that he wouldn't punish anyone from the 'Slug Club' for breaking curfew, but quickly turned on his word. She'd hid before he could get to her.

James opened the door and she entered the familiar, endless room. It made no sense that this place was inside of Hogwarts. It was too big for the space it was allotted. But magic can do what it wants, so rooms could be bigger on the inside.

"This way," James had now grabbed her hand and laced his fingers with hers. She tried to tell herself otherwise, but she liked his hand in hers. It felt...right.

They rushed along for a while, down rows and rows of lost and forgotten things. James seemed to know where he was going, so Lily trusted him on that.

Eventually, they stopped at a large mirror. It was old, dust covering it at the sides. The corners had lost their luster, and the reflection was less than pristine. It's frame was very ornate however, and there were words carved at the top, written in a language Lily couldn't understand.

There was something familiar about the mirror, but she couldn't place it in her memory.

James grinned at it like and old friend, "What do you see in the mirror, Evans?"

Lily laughed at the stupid question. "It's a mirror, Potter. I see a reflection."

"No," James rolled his eyes. "Look. _Really_ look."

"Why are you..." She mumbled, but stepped into the mirror anyway.

It was a reflection. She saw a reflection. Lily was standing there and James was next to her. They were still holding hands. Lily looked down at her hand and saw that it was true.

"It's a reflection, Potter," Lily sighed. "That's how mirrors work."

He smiled. A really big, bright smile. She couldn't see what was so amusing.

"Have you lost your marbles?" Lily asked when he started to laugh uncontrollably.

"Try again, Lily," he said through his laughter, pushing her so it was only her in the reflection. No, James was there too. She glanced to her side but saw that he hadn't moved. This James was _only_ in the mirror.

Mirror James reached and took her hand and stood next to her smiling.

"This is the Mirror of Erised, Lily," James whispered.

Lily felt as though her heart had dropped right into her stomach. She'd read about this mirror. That's why it looked so familiar.

"The Mirror," he sauntered up next to her, conceit rife in his voice, "shows your heart's true desire." James stood behind her, his chin on her shoulder. "So," he purred, "what did you see?"

_You and me. We were happy and together and I knew you loved me. I just knew._

Lily pushed him off of her, "I saw a reflection, Potter. It's a mirror." The lie was easy.

He didn't seem convinced, "Why won't you admit it?"

"Admit what?" Lily said coyly.

James faced her and reached out a hand to brush the hair out of her face, "Admit that you saw me in there, just like I saw you." His hand trailed down her face, lightly cupping her chin. Some part of her thought that this might be some cruel ruse, but the larger part of her knew it was not. There was no use in lying.

Lily reached up and placed her hand on his elbow, "I saw you, James."

Then he leaned in and she knew he meant to kiss her.

And, for some strange reason, she let him.


	3. Broken Arms and Birthdays

**Guys, the Damsel in Distress is just a loose theme to tie all the stories together. It may or may not be a prominent part of each story, but it will always be ****_a_**** part of each story.**

**Love and appreciate the support.**

Lily Evans stared at her reflection for a solid five minutes before she could convince herself that she definitely was the same person.

She had the same red hair, the same green eyes, the same splatter of freckles, same body, same hands.

Another year with minimal physical change.

But she had changed. Last night, she'd felt a definite change.

Lily sat down on her bed, her hands methodically braiding back her long hair. Her mind drifted to the previous night.

Professor Slughorn had hosted a party for "gifted students". Lily was one of them, but she was never sure why. She hadn't ever thought of herself as gifted, just smart. But she wasn't smart for any special reason, she just did her work and did it well.

Lily had often speculated that Slughorn thought she was so amazing because she'd come from Muggle parents. She was probably correct in thinking that.

It was a formal party, and Lily didn't own any formal gowns. Her friend, Alice, had let her borrow a nice navy one that Lily didn't look too bad in. She wasn't used to dressing this pretty.

Alice flitted about their room, trying to find her other diamond earring, "I can't believe I let Mary borrow them. I knew she'd lose it!"

Lily rolled her eyes. Alice just liked to get worked up about things, "Should I just wear my hair down like this? I don't know what to do."

Alice finally stopped in her frantic search and turned to look at her friend. A large smile lit up her pixie like face, "Lily, you look brilliant! That dress is perfect on you!"

"Thanks," Lily said with new found confidence. She looked at herself in the mirror once more. She did look very pretty.

Alice continued on her search. "I found it!" She said in a sing-songy way. "I bet Frank is waiting on me," Alice put in her earring. "I hope this date goes all right. You know he can be rather...erm...awkward."

Lily laughed. Frank Longbottom was a very sweet guy. Very clever and kind, but sometimes a bit shy. No more so than when he was around Alice.

"It's just because he fancies you, Alice," Lily told her.

Alice rolled her eyes, "Doubtful." She straightened out the pleats on her pink dress. "Why didn't you ask anyone to the party? We're allowed dates, you know." The two girls started on their way out of the room.

Lily shrugged, "I don't have anyone who'd go with me."

"James would go with you in a heart beat," Alice said, rather too loudly.

Lily tried not to flush, "Hush." They stepped on to the stairwell. "You know we aren't like that. We're just..." What were they? Friends? Not really. Sure, they were head boy and girl but it wasn't as though they spent much free time together. Acquaintances? No, they were a bit closer than that.

So what was their relationship? Lily herself did not know.

Alice stepped out into the common room, "Whatever you say." She spotted Frank across the room and went over to greet him. Poor Frank seemed so awestruck by Alice that Lily thought he wasn't going to speak.

_He's got if bad for you, Alice_, Lily thought. It was funny how her friend couldn't notice what was right in front of her.

Lily was off in her thoughts when she began walking to the portrait door causing her to walk right into someone.

"Sorry, I-" the person said. She looked up to see it was James. His whole face changed when he looked at her. It was a strange look. Like he was hypnotized by her. She suddenly felt completely naked. "Blimey, Evans, you look nice."

Lily laughed to break the tension, "Erm, thanks, Potter."

He suddenly laughed too, "I'm sorry. That sounded better in my head. I mean...you're very beautiful."

"Oh," Lily fumbled for something to say. _Get a hold of yourself, it's only James._ "Well, the dress is Alice's-"

"I'm not talking about the _dress_," he said with that smirk of a smile of his. "Though it is nice."

She felt her face turning redder, "Thank you." They just stood there for a bit, neither quite sure what to say.

James spoke first, "Well, I better get out of your way then. Have a nice time at the Slug Club."

Then she had an impulse. A crazy, stupid impulse that she probably shouldn't have acted upon but did anyway. "Hey," she called after him, "do you want to go with me?"

James turned around, "What?"

"Please don't make me repeat that."

His smile made his whole face shine, "Do my ears deceive me, or did Lily Evans just ask me on a date?"

"Not a date," she spat. "You'd just be my guest. Totally not a date."

His mischievous smile stayed, "Yes, Lily Evans, I would love to go with you on this 'totally-not-a-date'." He gave a mocking little bow.

"Don't make me change my mind, Potter." She crossed her arms.

He bowed again, started up the stairs, "What finally won you over? My charm? My wit? My unbeatable sex appeal?"

"I'm leaving without you." Lily matched his teasing tone and began backing to the door. "I'm going. I withdrawal my request-"

He smirked, "Never, I've waited for this for years. Don't get my hopes up and then take them away." He walked up a few more steps, "I'll be down in a minute...Lily Evans."

Alice had positively shrieked when Lily showed up at the party with James. In fact, it was all anyone was talking about. Despite that, Lily didn't regret asking him. He was actually quite fun, and didn't try to embarrass her or anything like that.

He was a gentleman. He was kind and smart and clever and funny. Everything Lily had ever wanted in a man.

It was when they were dancing that things really started to become clear.

"Regret asking me?" James said as they danced to some sappy love song by a whiny sounding singer.

"Actually," Lily said, "no. I've had a very nice time."

"I told you that you'd like dating me."

"This is still not a date."

He laughed, "If you say so, Lily."

Lily. He called her by her first name. Funny, she wasn't sure if he'd done that before.

They started dancing very close. Pressed up against each other, heads on the other's shoulder.

"You totally should have agreed to all those dates I asked you on earlier," he teased.

Lily chuckled, "Ah, all the wasted time."

"We should make up for it." His voice was a whisper. Lily felt her heart rate pick up a bit.

Searching for something, she ended up simply saying, "I just remembered, tomorrow's my birthday."

...

Lily turned away from her reflection and picked her cloak up off of her bed. Next to it were presents from her parents and friends. Birthdays were always so nice. It showed who really cared.

Picking up her books, she left her room and headed to the library. No classes today, but she still needed to study. N.E.W.T.s were rather far away, but Lily needed to pass with high grades if she wanted to go straight into the professional world.

It was rather early; she was an early bird. No one was ever awake early in the morning. The time was all her's.

Half way there, she heard strange noises from down a corridor. She froze, wondering what it could be. The voice moaned, as though in pain.

_Could be Peeves,_ she thought, but he was normally just playing tricks. _Or is this just a ruse to get me to go down there and then have him dump water on my head or something?_

"Hello?" Lily called. "Anyone there."

"Evans?" The voice breathed. "Is that you?" James Potter groaned again, sounding even more agonized.

Lily scurried down the way and turned to the right to see him crouched on an old, small stairway. His left arm was held close to his chest, bent in an unnatural way.

"Potter, what did you do?" She knelt next to him, examining the twisted arm.

"Well, don't look at me as if I did it on purpose," he took a sharp intake of breath.

Lily rolled her eyes, "Not the time to be sassy, Potter."

"I'm never sas-"

"What happened to your arm?" She pursed her lips. "It looks broken. I'll need to take you to the hospital wing." Lily looked at his face, and saw a faint bruise on his cheek. His glasses were askew and his hair was messy, but that was hardly out of the ordinary.

James breathed deeply, "I got in a row. With some of those death eater Slytherins." He glanced at her face. "Oh, don't look at me like that. I didn't provoke them. I tried to walk past them but then they...said things." His eyes darted to the ground. "Anyway, one of them stupefied me and I was flung at this lovely, stone wall here." With his head, he gestured to it. "And I've just been sitting here for a while."

"Well, I'm taking you to the hospital wing," Lily said firmly, hoping he could still walk. "How are your legs?"

"Fine, fine," James hissed through his teeth, holding onto his broken arm. Placing a hand on his back, she helped him to stand and soon they were on their way.

"Why didn't you just take yourself to the hospital wing earlier?" Lily asked when they were about half of the way there.

He smirked, "I was waiting for my knight in shinning armor."

"Guess that makes you the damsel in distress," Lily said with a laugh.

James laughed but it turned into a wince, "Don't be funny now, Evans. Laughing hurts."

"All right. I'll be painfully dull the rest of the day."

She then remembered again that it was her birthday.

...

The day had turned out to be pretty nice.

Lily and her friends had a small party in the common room, complete with cake and everything. James had to stay in the hospital wing. They'd fixed his arm up fairly quickly, but kept him their most of the day so he could gain some strength.

It was late at night when he finally came back. Lily was still awake, sitting in one of the window seats and reading a book Alice had given her about a famous female Auror who worked at the Ministry.

James smiled when he saw her, "Waiting up for me?"

"Couldn't sleep," Lily corrected. He smirked and came to sit by her. "How's the arm?"

He nodded, "Good as new." He looked around the common room curiously, "How was the birthday?"

"Great," Lily told him with a smile. "I can't believe I'm eighteen already. I don't feel any different." She yawned, "Though I do feel tired. I best be off to bed-"

"Wait!" He placed his hand on her thigh to stop her from standing. However, he didn't remove it once she was seated. He gave her that smile that made her cheeks burn, "I got you a present and everything." James retracted his hand and stood, sauntering over to the other side of the room and opening a drawer. She had never noticed that there were drawers in the common room. And if she had, she would have never thought to use them.

James came back over and placed the gift in her lap. It was not wrapped, but there was a ribbon tied around it.

"It's a book," Lily said, somewhat surprised. Not a bad surprise, just a genuine shock. She'd never through James would buy her a book. He'd always seemed like that type to buy jewelry or perfumes or something generic that didn't show too much thought.

But a book was different. It felt personal.

"Pride and Prejudice," James said proudly. "You told me it was your favorite."

"Yeah, two months ago," she said, running a finger down the glossy red cover. "I can't believe you remembered."

She could hear him smile, "I'm glad you like it." Lily turned to look up at him, but he was already staring at her. Bashfully, she looked away. "What's it about?" He asked.

"Erm..." Lily started. "Lizzie Bennet and her sisters, mostly. Well, kind of. It's also about her and a man named William Darcy. They don't really like each other that much in the beginning. He falls for her, but she thinks he's proud and arrogant. Then she realizes that maybe she was wrong about him..."

"And they live happily ever after?" James said. She noted that his arm was now around her. When had that happened?

Lily shrugged, "I guess so."

"Sounds like a familiar story," James said with a laugh. She felt her face getting warm. Well, not just her face. Her whole body felt twenty degrees hotter than before.

She looked back at her present, "Thanks for the book, James."

He grinned, "No problem, Lily."

Lily looked at him and he was looking at her. She then realized how handsome he was. Over the years, she'd heard bunches of girls say how handsome he was, but she never saw it. She could see it now.

She pressed her lips to his and then they were kissing. It felt so nice to kiss him. So comfortable. It felt...right.

Maybe it was minutes, or hours, of days, but eventually he pulled away.

"Happy birthday, Lily," he said with a smirk.

Lily rolled her eyes, "Oh, shut up and kiss me."


	4. Tunnels and Twists

"Having fun yet, Evans?" James Potter asked with his usual smirk.

"It's bad enough that it's cold, dark, and wet. It's just even worse because you're with me," Lily stepped over some suspicious looking liquids. James had said that this tunnel would lead them to Hogsmeade, but Lily was beginning to think this was some ruse to get her alone.

_How in the world did Potter get Head Boy? He was never even a prefect! I would've been fine with Remus...but Potter..._

He was infuriating. Absolutely infuriating. He was this constant thorn jabbing into her forehead.

And worst of all, they were being forced to spend time together. Being Head Boy and Girl, they had to go out on tasks together whenever Dumbledore instructed.

Lily was beginning to think that Dumbledore was playing some cruel joke on her. He knew she hated Potter, and yet he paired them together and made them go out on stupid missions.

They'd gotten word an hour earlier that two students had gone out for a midnight walk and it was now their task to go retrieve them. As stupid task, really.

_Yes, Dumbledore must be punishing me for something. Why else would he make me spend so much time with Potter?_

"Are you sure you know where we're going?" Lily asked, her wand illuminating the tunnel. She didn't even know that Hogwarts had tunnels, but James had seemed very certain about the way.

He nodded, "How do you think Sirius and I get around so fast? I know where we're going."

"You aren't just luring me out here to kill me, right?"

James shined his wand up at his face, "You have uncovered my dastardly plot!" He did a nondescript fake accent. "Now, I must kill you!" Lily frowned, but it only cause him to smirk. "I'm joking, Evans. Lighten up." He lowered his wand.

"I'm plenty lightened up," she grumbled, following the way he lead.

He glanced over his shoulder, "You know, Evans, we've been in the same house for seven years and we hardly know anything about each other. "

Lily didn't answer.

He smiled, "I'll start-"

"I don't want your back story, Potter."

"I'm seventeen years old," he said as if he hadn't heard her. "My parents names are Martha and Thomas. My dad's and Auror and my mum works for St. Mungo's. Dad was a Gryffindor, mum was a Ravenclaw. I have a pet dog named Simon. I can play the piano too." He paused for a moment to see if she'd respond. She did not. "Erm...my favorite color is red; my favorite animal is a stag; my favorite book is Peter Pan."

Lily took a deep breath. Well, it was either talk or listen to Potter prattle on for an hour.

"Peter Pan has always been one of my favorites. I didn't know you read Muggle books," Lily said.

James smiled even bigger, "I'm a well-rounded man," he teased. "See, we do have things in common, Evans." He watched her expectantly, stopping in his tracks.

She huffed, "Fine. I'll talk." They began to walk again. "I'm seventeen as well. My parents are muggles, so they just went to muggle school. My dad, Andrew, teaches Literature at a secondary school and my mum, Mary, is a painter. We don't have any pets because my sister, Petunia, is allergic, but I've always wanted a cat. " Lily felt a drop of water hit the top of her head and she shook it off. "Petunia's dating this dreadful boy named Vernon. But we're not especially close so she wouldn't care that I dislike him. She thinks I'm a freak."

Her mind rushed back to when they were children. Before she even knew about wizards and witches and Hogwarts. Lily tried to show her sister her magic, but Petunia had sneered and called her a freak.

That was also the day Severus Snape had befriended her.

Lily dropped the thought. She hoped that the darkness hid the tears forming in her eyes.

"I don't like talking about Petunia," Lily said quietly.

James, sensing her discomfort, tried to change the mood. "What's your favorite color?"

"Yellow."

"Animal?"

She thought for a moment, "Rabbit, though my patronus is a doe." _Which you already know. _When they were learning to cast their patronuses, he'd made very clear the whole class knew too. "_Look! Mine is a stag and Evans's is a doe! Isn't that interesting..."_

James did not comment. "We're nearly there." She nodded, following as he led the way. They landed at a ladder.

Lily frowned, "You first, Potter." He looked ready to protest, but she snapped at him. "Eyes front, soldier."

He squished his brow, "I wasn't going to look up you robe, Evans." She crossed her arms. Rolling his eyes, he went first and she followed behind.

James pushed at the ceiling, and a hole appeared that they climbed out of. The room they were in wasn't very large, and it was full of boxes with different colored wrapping hanging out of them. The seal on one container gave her the answer.

"Honeydukes?" Lily asked, a bit bemused.

James gave his smirky smile, "Honeydukes, Evans. My guess is that our little lovebird couple is trying to sneak into The Three Broomsticks to get a room."

Lily's eyes widened, "People _actually_ do that?" She'd heard rumors before, but never thought anyone was actually daft enough.

James's turned a shade darker, "Yeah, well...I might've once." She raised a brow. "Not important! Anyway, I need to blow this lock to get us out of here..."

"_Blow the lock!_" Lily exclaimed. "_Honestly_, Potter..." She pushed him aside and took a few strides to reach the door to the shop. Muttering a quick spell, she unlocked the cellar door and they stepped into the store.

James looked over the shelves, basking in all of the sweets. He looked just about ready to knick something.

Lily yanked his arm, "This is a school mission. No thievery allowed."

James frowned, "I would've left money on the counter." They continued outside and Lily realized how cold it was. A fine frost had glazed the ground and the roofs of the all the shops.

She'd wished she'd warn something warmer. Lily hadn't thought to bring gloves or a scarf or a hat.

Then, as though her thoughts were read, James wrapped his scarf around her neck. She looked at him in awe.

"Don't worry," he said dryly, "it's not infected." Lily opened her mouth the day something, but no words came out. He shrugged, "Just get it back to me whenever."

Lily could not think of anything to say. Suddenly, she felt guilty. James wasn't so terrible. He had changed from when they were younger. Maybe Lily had been so wrapped up in her preconceived notions of him that she failed to see who he was now.

Whatever the reason, Lily found that she hasn't given him a fair chance.

"Sorry," she muttered.

James raised his eyebrows, "What?"

Lily kept her gaze on the ground, "I haven't been very kind to you in...ever. I'm just..." She breathed, "sorry."

James seemed to soften a bit. Playfully, he nudged her arm, "Hey, don't be so down. I never gave you much of a reason to ever like me. Guess I'm sorry too."

Lily smiled just a tiny bit, and raised her eyes from the ground. Maybe James wasn't too bad after all. He was actually kind of sweet and he was very witty. He was smart too, and pretty handsome...

_Whoa_! An SOS signal went off in her head. Lily cut off all thoughts of James. Her having warm feelings for James. Lily certainly was not expecting this.

She'd sworn to herself she'd never fall for James.

Lily put her walls back up, "We're nearly there." She noted, "What are we going to do? Barge in and demand Anna Cart and George Goyle?" She knew both people. Not very well, but she'd had classes with them. Anna was a Hufflepuff and Goyle was in Slytherin. Neither were particularly bright.

James opened the door to The Three Broomsticks, "Got a better idea?"

She didn't respond.

The restaurant was empty, save for an unmaned broom that was sweeping under the tables.

A loud crack sounded and then the landlady, Madame Merriwether, appeared in front of them. She was a rather old lady, with bright pink cheeks and deep laugh lines. However, she was very in love with money. She'd allow students to buy rooms...if their money was good enough.

She gave them a cheeky grin, "Are you two interested in a room?"

Lily furrowed her brow, "No thanks." She held out her pin, "But Dumbledore is wondering where two of his students are."

Merriwether's face showed no emotion, "And he sent you out here in the middle of the night? That seems like a strange task."

"Where are they?" James pressed.

She cocked her head, "I don't know."

Lily watched James reach into his pocket and pull out a handful of galleons. She couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy: Lily had never had that many galleons in her whole life.

He placed them in Merriwether's hand, "Where are they?"

She scanned the money, as if trying to tell if it was real or not. A satisfied smile spread across her tawny face, "Upstairs. Room 23."

"Thanks," James started to the stairway, Lily going after him. She heard hushed giggles coming from down the hallway.

"Goyle, you're crazy!" A girl shrieked in delight. _That's Anna_, Lily thought. She tried not to think about whatever crazy thing Goyle was doing.

"Ever broke down a door, Evans?" James asked as they faced room 23. Lily shook her head. "Me neither. This should be fun." He raised his wand and a bright bolt shot out of it. The door flew open and the teens inside jumped apart from each other.

The bed was turned down, but at least they were clothed. Anna started crying, while Goyle turned bright red.

"Oi! What's this about? Get out of here!" Goyle looked ready to deck James.

James raised his wand., "Get up! You're under arrest!"

"They're _not_ under arrest," Lily muttered. "And you're not a police officer."

James faced her, "Well, that's sounds cooler than 'We're here to take you to Dumbledore. Would you ever so kindly follow us?', doesn't it?"

"You're impossible."

"I'm just saying."

Goyle cleared his throat, "You're taking us to Dumbledore?"

"Yes, you creep," James said. "You snuck out of school. I'm Head Boy!"

Lily clicked her tongue, "And definitely not abusing your power."

He ignored her, "Come on you two. Party's over. Or whatever _this_ is."

...

James had wanted to apparate into school, and Lily had to remind him that that was impossible so they walked instead. No one said a word, and Anna cried most of the time. She almost felt sorry for her, but Lily was just doing her job. She hoped their punishment wouldn't be too steep.

Suddenly, Lily slipped and let her grip of Anna go. A horrific pain lit up her left leg like fire. _What the hell._.. She nearly fainted when she looked at her foot. Ankles aren't supposed to bend that way.

She'd stepped in some crater in the ground. It was so dark outside that she hadn't seen it.

"Shit," Lily cried. She wasn't brave enough to touch her leg. It was just hurt even more.

"Lily!" James ran over, towing Goyle after him. His eyes, full of worry, stared down at her pathetic form. "I'll get help-"

"No," she said impulsively. "I'll be fine." Lily tested standing up, the pain becoming almost unbearable. She wobbled, the fire threading to consume her, but stood all the same. "Let's go."

James wasn't convinced, "Lily, you shouldn't-"

She met his eyes, "I'm fine." She knew she wasn't. She'd have to get to the hospital wing soon and get this fixed.

But she didn't want James to help her. She didn't want to be his damsel in distress.

...

James couldn't stand seeing her in pain, but she kept insisting that she didn't need help. Her pride was astounding.

They'd dropped Anna and Goyle off with Dumbledore and were commended for their help. Dumbledore had offered to take Lily to the hospital wing, but she kept pressing that she was fine.

James rolled his eyes; she was bloody stubborn at times.

"Stop this," James said once they'd left Dumbledore's office.

"What?"

_This is a bad idea, half his brain warned._

James opted to ignore it.

In a swift motion, he lifted Lily up into his arms.

She squired furiously, "Put me down, Potter!"

"Nope," he said nonchalantly. "We're going to the hospital wing."

"I'll walk myself!"

"Lily, you're about to pass out from pain. I'm carrying you." James started walking, but she was still wiggling in protest. Once she realized that he was much stronger, she stopped resisting. She did not relinquish the disgusted scowl on her face. "Calm down. No one can see us."

"I don't like feeling pathetic."

"Accepting help when needed does not make you pathetic."

They didn't speak for a while after that. For a small bodied person, Lily was rather heavy. It made him wonder if she was secretly very muscular or something. His mind started to drifting to what her body must look like under the robes. He cut those thoughts off before they distracted him too much.

"Why red?" Lily asked when they were almost at their destination.

James furrowed his brow, "Huh?"

She blushed, "Earlier, you said your favorite color was red. I thought it was because of Gryffindor, but our color is Scarlett, not red. So why red?"

"Oh, erm," James felt his hands going clamy. He did have a reason for it, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to tell her. _What if she laughs at me? _"Well, er..."

Lily gave that smirky look of her's, "I'm just being curious."

"Ah, well," he breathed. "Just don't laugh at me."

"Okay. I won't laugh at you."

_Just say it. What's the worse that could happen?_

_The world will explode. She'll laugh at me. Everyone will die. She'll laugh at me. I'll catch of fire. I'll spontaneously combust. I'll be eaten by a dragon._

_She'll laugh at me._

James swallowed, "It's my favorite because it's the color of your hair."

...

Lily woke up in a hospital bed. It took her a moment to remember all that had happened.

A light snore sounded next to her. She looked over to see James sitting in the chair near her bed, his head lying on the mattress.

Did he really stay the whole night here? A sudden affection for him spread through her like wildfire. It was a new, strange feeling but she sort of liked it.

"It's my favorite because it's the color of your hair," James had said.

Lily had just said, "Thank you." Like an idiot. What was she supposed to say to that anyway? She certainly hasn't been prepared.

She noted that her ankle had stopped aching. She lifted up the sheet to look down at it and it was back in a normal position.

Lily smiled: one less thing to worry about. She had a bigger thing worrying her: her changing feelings for James. He wasn't the same as he was when they were younger. He'd matured, grown up. He seemed more real now, less like an insignificant pain in her side.

James's face was pushed up against her mattress, causing her to smile a bit. His hair was messy as ever. His hair never seemed to stay put.

She wasn't sure why, but she reached out and touched it, stroking it back some.

His squeezed his eyes tighter, furrowing his brow. Slowly, he leaned back into his chair and let out a great yawn.

Rubbing his neck, he smiled at her, "Good morning, Lily."

She retuned the smile, "Good morning, James."

"How's the ankle?"

"Better," she nodded. "Why did you stay the night here?"

He shrugged, "I figured the fat lady would be asleep so I didn't bother going back." But Lily could tell he was lying. Whatever his true motive was, he wasn't about to tell. "Oh, and you can leave now. You're all fixed up. She just thought it would be better if you spent the night."

"All right," Lily replied, slowly sitting up. She could tell her red hair was a mess and there wasn't much to do about it now. The scarf James had let her borrow was curled up around her so she had to untangle herself before she could stand.

Nervously, she placed her left foot on the ground. To her delight, it was completely healed. The pain was now but a memory. She smiled as she stood upright on her own.

"You sure you don't need me to carry you?" James said in his flirtatious voice.

Lily rolled her eyes, "If you try that again, I'll hex you into next year." But she couldn't help a laugh, "Anyway, thank you, Potter. You did actually help last night."

He pursed his lips, "You're giving me very mixed messages here, Evans."

"You should be used to that by now, Potter."

...

Everyone must've been at breakfast, because Gryffindor Tower was deserted by the time he and Lily arrived there.

"Aren't we supposed to lead everyone down at meals?" James asked when they entered the common room.

Lily shrugged, "Normally, yes, but they probably just made the prefects do it this time."

James nodded. His mind kept focusing on the thought that he and Lily were alone in Gryffindor tower.

Funny, he'd always yearned for an opportunity like this, but now that it was here he didn't know what to say. Yes, he planned all the cheesy flirtatious things he'd do to get her to kiss him, but he knew deep down that they wouldn't work.

Lily was so different from every other girl. In a strange way, he was completely terrified of her.

Every moment of every day he'd wish and hope she'd give some sign of how she really felt about him. She put on this front that she couldn't stand him, but he knew it wasn't really true. At least he hoped it wasn't really true.

When you love someone so much, they just have to love you back. At least that's what he told himself.

"Are you going home for Christmas this year?" James asked. _Idiot, what type of a question is that? Stupid! You should've said something better like-_

"I'm actually going to spend it here this year," Lily answered.

His heart leapt, "Me too." _What? No you're not. You never do. Why are you lying? Get it together, Prongs._

Lily studied him, "But you always go home for Christmas."

James smirked, "Keeping tabs on me, Evans?"

She sighed with exasperation, "That's it. I've had my fill of you, Potter. I'm going upstairs." Lily started on her way.

On an impulse, James grabbed her wrist, "Please. Wait."

Lily raised her eyebrows, but she did what he said.

"Sorry," he muttered, letting go of her arm. "I just get so nervous around you."

"Nervous?"

"I never know what to say." James probably should've shut up then, but he just kept moving his stupid mouth. "I mean, you terrify me. Well, you don't _scare_ me, but you make me so nervous. I never know what to say so I jut freak out and say something stupid most of the time and I don't know why but I-"

Lily laughed. James shut his mouth instantly. _Great going, you bloke._

Her smile was kind, "Come up for air, will you, Potter?" Lily's eyes scanned over his whole body. "And I think you're sweet." She said it quickly, like ripping off a bandage.

"Sweet?" James said, a little hope blooming inside of him.

She kept smiling, "Yes. I think you're sweet." James noted how close they were standing now and his heart did a little tap dance. He wanted to just stay there forever, gazing at her.

It was Lily who backed away, "I should go straighten up before we go down to breakfast. I look a fright." She turned to the stairs.

"You could never look a fright," James called after her.

She turned and gave her that warm smile he liked so much and saw so rarely, "Flattery will get you nowhere, James." Lily ascended two stairs. James called after her once more. "Yes?" She turned around, a bit of a laugh in her voice.

James walked to the bottom of the stairs, "Will you go to Hogsmeade with me on Wednesday?"

Lily squinted, "Like a date?"

"No," he said quickly. "I mean yes. Maybe. No, yes. A date. Yes."

She smirked, "Maybe." Lily turned again, ascending a few more steps.

"Wait!" James yelled, stepping onto the first stair. "I want my scarf back."

With a huff, Lily turned back around and descended to the second step. Slowly, she tugged at the right end of the scarf and it fell off of her neck. With a coy smile, she grabbed both ends and put it over James's head and onto his neck.

_God, she's beautiful_, he thought as he looked up at her gazing down at him. She backed away again.

James grabbed her wrist, "Wait."

Lily flicked her hair as she turned to him, "Now you're just stalling me. What do you want?"

James swallowed. What did he want? He wasn't sure. He just knew he didn't want her to walk away. He didn't want that at all.

Standing one step above him, she was at about eye level with him. Her eyes were so piercing, like emerald daggers.

James lost all train of thought.

"Erm... I..." He muttered. Lily laughed a bit to herself, then did something very unexpected.

She leaned forward and placed a kiss on his cheek.

Pulling back, she had a smirk about her.

"I'll be back down in a minute, Potter. Can you wait?"

"Yes."

"Good." She said and went on her way.

James stood on that step for a very long time trying to remember his name.


	5. Shopping and Swings

"Shit."

Lily Evans dove behind the counter of the Apricot and Aines Boutique. This couldn't be happening. How did he find her? Why was he here?

Kelly stared at Lily as if she were mentally unstable. Lily didn't blame her. She probably was.

Kelly pursed her lips, "I'm missing something, aren't I?"

Shit, Lily thought again, praying that he hadn't seen her. She banged her head against the back of the counter methodically.

"See that bloke that just walked in?"

Kelly squinted, peering over the people in the shop, "The one with the glasses or his friend with the long hair?"

"Glasses," Lily spat like the word had a bad taste. "That's _James Potter._"

Kelly squinted, "James Potter...oh, that boy from your boarding school that you hate?"

"That's the one," Lily grumbled. Lily thought about the last time she'd seen James. How she agreed to...no. She wouldn't think about it. She couldn't. "And now he's come to torment me."

Kelly smirked, "Or he's come to, you know, Christmas shop. We do work in a shop, Lily. People come in here to buy things."

Lily new Kelly was teasing, but the comment still put her off. Kelly did know about what had transpired between her and James. How Lily had been dreading every moment leading up to when she'd have to see him again.

She didn't know the moment would be so soon.

Kelly shrugged, "I don't think he saw you. Granted, you ran for cover the moment you saw him." She smiled a bit, "He's not at all as you've painted him. He's actually quite handsome."

Lily pulled her knees to her chest. Handsome, yes, and so many other things. "He's very difficult to deal with."

"So are you at the moment," Kelly laughed, flicking back her blonde hair. "Get off the floor, would you?"

"What if he sees me?"

"What do you think he's gonna do? Hit you with laser vision?" Kelly laughed again. Kelly didn't know Lily was a wizard. They'd known each other for a few years and as far as Kelly was concerned, Lily attended Hecate's Co-Educational Boarding School in Scotland.

An obnoxious tone began ringing from behind them. Kelly clicked her tongue, "That'll be the phone." She gestured for Lily to get up, "Man the counter."

"No! What's if he-"

"I've got to get the phone, Lils!" Kelly yelled as she went to the employee door. "I'll just be a moment!"

Shit. Lily was alone at the counter now. She thought leaning over night make her less noticeable. But her red hair would be a dead giveaway.

Lily looked around the small store and saw James and Sirius across the way. Both wore black coats and their Gryffindor scarfs wrapped around their necks.

Kelly was right: James was very handsome. She'd been thinking that for a while...

_**The Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin had everybody in a joyous mood. Even Lily was getting caught in the spirit, though quidditch had never been her cup of tea.**_

_**She'd gone to the library before the game to check out a book on Ancient Runes when she ran into James.**_

_**"What are you doing in the library?" She asked.**_

_**He gave the smirkish grin of his, "Looking for you."**_

_**"I didn't even know you knew where the library was."**_

_**He laughed, "I've something to ask you."**_

"It's Evans!" James booming voice bright Lily back to the present. Strongly, she fought the urge to slide back behind the counter again.

Lily gave an unenthusiastic wave, "What are you doing here?"

"Christmas shopping." James approached her, Sirius in tow. "Do you work here? In a muggle shop?"

Lily nodded, wrinkling her nose, "It pays, Potter. Not all of us will inherit enough money to buy out The Ministry when we came of age."

Her snarky comment did not bother him. They never did. In fact, it made him smile, as if he took her constant rude comments as high compliments.

"What are you doing out here anyway?" Lily asked.

"Christmas shopping," he repeated.

She rolled her eyes, "Are there no shops where you live?"

"What?"

"Why'd you come all the way out to Spinner's End? You don't live near here." Lily tapped her finger along the counter.

James gave a flirtatious smile, "Keeping tabs on me?"

"Don't flatter yourself," Lily deadpanned. "Remember, a few weeks ago you asked where I lived? I said 'Spinner's End' and you said 'Where's that?'." She looked for some sign that he understood but he gave none. "You don't live over here, Potter, so why are you here?"

James picked up a small porcelain pig sitting on the counter and rolled it between his fingers, "We're staying with Peter for the weekend. He lives over here."

"Moony's staying with us too," Sirius added, looking happy to finally have something to add to the conversation.

Lily studied them, "Well, it's been wonderful chatting with you two. Now leave."

Kelly walked out from the back, holding a box of merchandise in front of her, "Lils, that was Veronica. She said that she wants me to close tonight, so you can leave now if you like."

Shit, Lily thought as a sly smile grew on James's face. She'd been dreading this moment for all of the Christmas holiday. She didn't know it would be so soon.

_**"What?" Lily asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Lately, being around James had been giving her this weird feeling for in her stomach. She'd always had very strong feelings for him, but now they were becoming more positive then negative.**_

_**"How's about we make a bet?" James said. "If Gryffindor loses today, I'll stop talking to you for three months."**_

_**"Sounds great," Lily replied.**_

_**He grinned, "But if we win, you agree to go on a date with me."**_

_**Lily thought for a moment. If he'd asked her this last year, she would've said no immediately. But this time was different. Three months was a long time and Gryffindor was not favored to win.**_

_**Lily squinted, "Just one date."**_

_**James nodded, but his smile showed that he had confidence that this one would lead to more.**_

_**She held out her hand, "Deal."**_

"How's about we grab a bite to eat?" James asked, putting down the little pig statue and leaning towards her. Lily saw Kelly watching them from across the store, obviously more interested in them than the ornaments she was restocking.

Lily shrugged, "That might be an awkward outing for Sirius."

James laughed, "Sirius wouldn't be there."

"Why are we talking about me like I'm not here?" Sirius said with a pout. James didn't acknowledge him. "Whatever. I'll just wait outside." He turned and left, leaving the two of them alone.

James leaned closer, and Lily was afraid he might be able to hear her heart pounding. Smug, impertinent, jerk. Toying with me like I'm that stupid snitch he carries around with him.

Lily backed up, tiding up the counter, "How's about we don't go on a date and say we did?"

James shook his head, "We had a deal, Evans." Lily sighed, but she knew he was right. Gryffindor had won and now Lily was in his debt._ I can't believe this is happening. _

James continued, "I'll be the perfect, gentlemen." He placed his right hand on his heart, "I'll open the door for you and pull out your chair. I'll pay for your meal and we can talk about whatever you like. You don't even have to kiss me."

"Oh, I wasn't planning too," Lily added. She exhaled, "Fine, I'll go with you. Just let me clock out."

It was probably the best day of James Potter's life.

Lily Evans _(Lily Evans!_) was on a date with him. He couldn't believe this was happening.

He was so happy Gryffindor had won, it was almost like fate. He was so happy he saw Lily in the shop. Again, it seemed like fate.

And actually, their conversation was going really well. James was hoping he could show her that he was more than just the meat head she thought he was. He wanted to show her that there were other parts of him.

And he wanted her to like those other parts.

She'd just been telling a funny story about how she'd accidentally turned her sister's dolls into snakes when they were younger. Her laugh was absolutely adorable, like bells or rain drops or something.

James smiled, "I turned Snape's school books half-spider one time. They'd crawled all around the school."

Lily rolled her eyes, "And then I smacked you for that."

"Yes. You hit very hard." They both laughed and she flushed a little in a very cute way.

Her eyes downcast to her plate, "I wish he hadn't joined up with those disgusting people." She pushed her pasta around her plate. "I know you don't like him very much, but he was my friend. My best friend."

"I know," James added sympathetically. Everyone but Lily knew that Severus definitely thought of Lily as more than a friend. He still did, it seemed, but he had stopped trying to talk to her.

"I hope we don't have a war," Lily said, meeting his eyes. "Everyone says we will, but I hope we don't." Her eyes widened and she laughed nervously, "I'm sorry. That just got really dark."

James shook his head, smiling, "Don't be. I like talking about things with you." He gave a small laugh, "Sorry. That sounded better in my head."

Lily grinned, "You know. You're not so bad, James."

James. She'd called him James. Not Potter, or idiot, or shut-up-go-away. She called him James.

He raised his brow, "Am I good enough to get a kiss?"

She sipped her drink, "Don't push your luck."

For some reason, Lily agreed to let James walk her home. He walked rather close to her and she sort of liked it. Lily had never been on a date. In fact, she'd never been pursued by anyone before. The whole experience was new to her, having someone want to date her. Someone wanting to be something more than a friend.

It was funny that less than two hours ago she'd been dreading spending time with him. He was such a different person when they were alone together. He wasn't "Potter" anymore, he was just James. And Lily liked James. She liked him a lot.

She didn't want the date to end just yet so they took a detour and walked to the small park near her house. She used to come here all the time was Severus and now she was here with James. How peculiar time could be.

It was an old playground; it was rusted and worn from years of play. Snow had dusted over everything, the swings, the slide, and the monkey bars. The little creek was frozen as well.

"I haven't been on a swing in years," James said with a laugh. His laugh was warm, like a campfire or a blanket. They both took a swing and sat, swaying back and forth from the rickety old chains.

"I used to come here a lot when I was little," Lily said with a sad smile. "I haven't been back for a long while."

"Did you come here with Snape?"

Lily froze. Severus was never a topic James brought up...well, not on purpose. In fact, it was a topic no one ever brought up around Lily at all.

But Lily nodded all the same. "We were best friends once."

"I know."

Lily felt a lump in her throat. She realized that she'd never really talked about Severus with anyone...not after the incident.

She took a deep breath, "I met him here. My family are all muggles so I knew that I was...different. I came here to show Petunia what I could do and she said I was a freak and told out mother. Mum thought Petunia was just making it up and told me to stop scarring her." She looked over at James, feeling rather stupid. He wouldn't care about this, he hated Snape. "Sorry, I know you don't really care-"

"And then what happened?" He asked, his eyes still locked on her. His eyes were so piercing she thought he was looking straight into her heart.

She shrugged, "Well, then I met Severus and he told me that he was just like me. That we were special. And for someone who was constantly told that they were a freak, it was nice to hear. We were friends for a long time after that. Around fourth year he started in with the wrong crowd, but he was never mean to me. It bothered me that he was friends with them, but he never wanted to talk about it. My friends wondered why I still hung out with him. I was wondering the same.

"Later I found out the awful things that they were doing and told him to stop. It just got worse from there until..." Lily didn't have to say it. James knew what she was talking about. That day after O.W.L.s testing. The worse day of her life. When the person who was supposed to be her best friend called her a mudblood. The person who had once called her special called her a freak.

Lily shook her head, "I'm sorry, that certainly didn't lighten the mood."

James gave a kind smile, "No, it just... I don't know you at all, do I?"

Lily kicked her legs, giving her swing motion, "I haven't really let you."

He began swinging as well and they stopped talking for a little while.

Lily laughed at him, "Bet I can swing higher."

He smirked, "If I can swing higher than you, can I get a kiss?"

Lily smirked, "I see you're back to your usual self." But she couldn't hold her cold demeanor. They laughed like little children.

Until the chain on James's swing broke and he plummeted to the ground.

Lily stuck out her heels, digging them into the ground and stopping herself.

"James!" She yelped, rushing to him. He moaned something under his breath and grasped his elbow. "Are you hurt?"

He shook his head, "I'm not bad, just bleeding. Probably bruised myself."

"You're so stupid."

"Are you honestly blaming me for the swing breaking?!"

Lily rolled her eyes, "Force of habit. But don't give me a heart attack like that, Potter." With her right hand, she scooped up some snow and handed it to him. "Put this on your elbow. It'll help." She stood. Offering her hand, "Let's get you to my house. I don't live far. I could get you some bandages."

James nodded and they started on their way.

Lily's mom squinted, studying James Potter from behind the kitchen counter. He was lying on the couch in the other room, ice placed on where he'd bruised himself.

Lily didn't like the way her mother was studying James. It looked like her mother knew a secret, something Lily didn't know.

"So this is that boy you hate?" Her mother said just loud enough for Lily to hear.

Lily shrugged, washing her hands in the sink, "I don't hate him..."

"You refer to him as 'Bloody James Potter.'"

"Mum! He'll hear you!"

Her mother smiled, "Sorry," she whispered. "You two were on a date?"

Lily didn't meet her mother's eyes, "Not a date. Not really."

Her mother clicked her tongue, turning to glance at James again, "He's a very handsome young man."

"Mum!"

She raised her arms in surrender, "I'm just saying. And you're an amazing girl, Lily. I think he may fancy you."

Lily swallowed, "No one fancies me." She grabbed a towel and dried off her hands, methodically rubbing them together. "Besides, I'm just helping him. Then he'll leave."

Her mother shrugged, "He can stay as long as he likes. I'll go upstairs. Leave you two some space."

"Mum..." Lily protested, but her mother just gave a smirk of a smile and retreated to the stairwell.

Now it was just Lily alone. With James Potter. In her house.

Ugh.

She walked over to the couch slowly, as if trying not to make a sound. Her efforts must've failed because he turned over his shoulder and smiled at her.

"Hey," She said.

He smiled, "Hey."

"How're you?"

He clicked his tongue, "Well, other than the bruised rear end and my crippling embarrassment, I'm fine."

She laughed, "You don't have to feel embarrassed."

"I broke a swing. Who the hell breaks a swing?"

Lily sat down near his feet, staring at him, "Well, if it's any consolation, I did have a fun time on our date."

He perked up, "Really?"

She nodded, "Yes. I did."

"I felt sort of ridiculous."

"Yeah...well..." Lily leaned closer to his face, brushing back some of his dark, messy hair. She wasn't sure why, it just felt natural.

James grabbed her hand not letting her pull away from him. She didn't care. She didn't want to.

"So you refer to me as James Bloody Potter?"

Lily laughed, "So you heard that?"

He nodded, "I heard most of it. You really think no one fancies you?"

She shrugged, leaning on her arm, "Not really."

James smirked, "Christopher Dugan fancies you." Lily raise a brow. "And Samuel Francis. Johan Carpenter...and..." He swallowed, "Well, me."

Lily wasn't sure she'd heard him right. His expectant look told her that she had.

The clock in the living room chimed the hour.

"It's really late," She said, backing away from him. "You're parents are probably missing you."

James reached up, trailing a hand through her hair. "I'm staying at Peter's remember. I doubt they care."

"Oh...yeah..." Lily said laughing a bit. "It's midnight. That means it's Christmas Eve."

"Almost Christmas," he pulled her in a little bit closer. Lily was starting to feel a magic that she hadn't felt before. It bubbled up inside of her and made her feel warm.

James rested his hand on the back of her neck and brought her closer to him.

He meant to kiss her. And she meant to kiss him.

With a loud creak, the front door opened.

Lily backed away from James as though he were on fire. She turned over her shoulder to see Petunia walking in with her usual sour expression. It became even tarter when she saw James on the couch.

"Who is this?" Petunia said in her taught sounding voice.

"James Potter," he answered quickly. "Lily and I were out and I...er...injured myself."

Petunia pursed her lips, "Hmmm. I'll be upstairs in my room then until he leaves." And with that she quickly dashed up the stairs. They heard a door shut and then no more.

Lily looked back at James and found herself blushing. She'd almost kissed him. She couldn't believe herself.

James sat up, scratched his head and sighed.

"Are you okay?" Lily reached out a hand and he pulled himself up.

He nodded, swinging his legs over the side of the couch. "Still bruised. And disappointed." James nudged her arm, "We probably should've fixed that swing."

She shrugged, "It'll be fine. You should get back to your friends."

"Damn my friends," he said. "Sorry."

Lily smirked, "It's quite all right. Though you really must go. It is very late. My mother will be suspicious. Can you apparate?"

James nodded, "I actually don hurt that bad."

"What?"

He shifted, "I was sort of...lying about the pain."

Lily studied him, "Why?"

"Well..." He moved closer to her, "So I could spend more time with you." Lily felt that wonderful anticipation again. She wants him closer to her. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted... "Do I get that kiss now?"

Lily squinted, "You are impossible."

James gave the most egotistical of grins and finally kissed her.


End file.
